What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 6, 2014.
This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with
individual websites to view some of the following news articles.
CAP AND TRADE
Germany Calls for Carbon-Market Overhaul Start Five Years Early.
Germany said an overhaul of the European Union’s carbon market to
automatically tighten supply should begin at the latest in 2016,
five years earlier than proposed by the bloc’s regulatory arm.
The 28 EU nations began talks last month on the plan to introduce
a stability reserve mechanism for the $72 billion emissions
trading system. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/691987?type=bloomberg
AIR POLLUTION
House backs bill to block EPA power plant rule. The
Republican-controlled House moved Thursday to block President
Barack Obama's plan to limit carbon pollution from new power
plants, an election-year strike at the White House aimed at
portraying Obama as a job killer. Ten coal-state or Southern
Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the bill, 229-183.
Supporters said the measure was part of a strategy to fight back
against what they call the Obama administration's "war on coal."
Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_POWER_PLANTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/House-backs-bill-to-block-EPA-power-plant-rule-5292535.php
http://www.modbee.com/2014/03/05/3224605/house-gop-moves-to-block-epa-rules.html#storylink=cpy
China takes aim at pollution after years of growth. Huge chunks
of concrete and broken machinery are all that is left of a cement
plant that once spewed clouds of pollution over China's most
polluted province, Hebei. Demolished in December, the factory was
one of 35 closed or torn down in Pingshan County as part of the
government's drive to clear up China's notoriously smoggy skies.
Combatting pollution has shot up the agenda of the ruling
Communist Party…Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Gasping Australians Flee Beijing-Style Smog as Coal Mine Burns. A
coal mine fire burning for almost a month is forcing residents of
an Australian town from their homes after pollution more than 22
times above recommended safe levels triggered a health alert.
Firefighters are pumping as much as 84,000 liters of water a
minute, the equivalent of about two Olympic-size swimming pools
an hour, onto the burning mine at GDF Suez’s Hazelwood power
station in Victoria state, according to local authorities.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-03-06/gasping-australians-flee-beijing-style-smog-as-coal-mine-burns.html
L.A. Supervisor Molina proposes 'toxic threat strike team'
Decrying the slow response of state agencies to the public health
threat posed by a Vernon battery recycler and other polluting
facilities, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina on
Wednesday called for the creation of a county “toxic threat
strike team” that could take action when the state fails to do
so. The plan calls for county public health officials,
prosecutors, fire department officials and others to identify the
most dangerous facilities in the most pollution-burdened
neighborhoods. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-toxic-threat-strike-team-20140305,0,4761219,print.story
At night, the ocean cleanses smoggy air, study suggests. The
ocean doesn’t just moderate temperatures and influence weather in
some of the world’s biggest cities; it also has the power to
cleanse the air, new research suggests. At night, the sea surface
can absorb and remove up to 15% of smog-forming nitrogen oxides
that build up in polluted air in coastal cities like Los Angeles,
according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ocean-smog-nitrogen-oxides-sink-20140305,0,6000295,print.story
U.S. Trade Deals From the 90's Set Up China as a Pollution Haven.
Even while trade agreements brokered under Clinton helped China's
economy to boom and brought Americans cheap goods, both nations
have paid dearly. China's plans to build remote industrial coal
complexes to power its economy are putting the country on a
trajectory to wipe out global gains in tackling climate change,
scientists fear. But other nations share responsibility for
China's fossil fuel binge and the toxic air people breathe as a
result—especially the United States. Posted.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20140306/us-trade-deals-90s-set-china-pollution-haven
Environmental activists monitoring pollution from Phillips 66
refinery in Wilmington. Dwight Peleti lives a stone’s throw from
the Phillips 66 Wilmington refinery, a sprawling complex of
smokestacks, holding tanks and round-the-clock petroleum
operations. Just before Peleti’s father died of complications
from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he complained that
his breathing became especially labored when refinery chemical
odors worsened, as they do from time to time. Posted.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/20140305/environmental-activists-monitoring-pollution-from-phillips-66-refinery-in-wilmington
CLIMATE CHANGE
Infrastructure threatened by climate change poses a 'national
crisis' The nation's aging infrastructure makes up an
interconnected web of systems that are alarmingly vulnerable to
the shocks of climate change, according to a report released
today that will inform the National Climate Assessment, to be
made public next month. The difficulty of strengthening the
systems that support the American economy…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059995655/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
Many central U.S. hardwood species vulnerable to climate impacts.
The United States' central hardwood forests -- an area that
stretches from southern Indiana and Illinois into the Missouri
Ozarks -- face a number of stressors, from invasive species to
urban development and overgrowth due to fire suppression. Roads,
power lines and other infrastructure crisscross the region,
fragmenting forests and limiting regrowth. Now add to that list
the steady encroachment of climate change. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059995652/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
Global warming slows down Antarctica’s coldest currents, poses
huge threat. The cold currents, called the Antarctic Bottom
Water, are basically cold, briny, underwater rivers flowing from
the underwater edge of the Antarctic continent north toward the
equator, very close to the seafloor. They carry oxygen, carbon,
and many nutrients to the depths of the ocean, and play a huge
role in the survival of creatures which live close to the
seafloor. Posted.
http://www.zmescience.com/ecology/climate/global-warming-antarctica-current-06032014/#6OfJX0ao7QoPXr1c.99
DROUGHT
Placer County pools spared for now from drought measures. The
latest rains have spared a summer of swimming in Placer County –
for now. A month ago, Placer County Water Agency officials were
poised to order strict conservation measures, including a blanket
ban on filling new or existing swimming pools. But after several
days of storms, water officials are having second thoughts. “It’s
still a bit early to outline a full-scale prescription of any
reductions until we get greater context in this month,” said PCWA
General Manager David Breninger. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/06/6212686/placer-county-pools-spared-for.html##storylink=cpy
Pair of McNerney bills target water conservation. Rep. Jerry
McNerney, D-Stockton, responding to California's impending
drought, introduced two bills this week aimed at water
conservation. If passed, both would have nationwide impact.
"Everyone can agree that using water more efficiently makes
sense," McNerney said in a written statement announcing the
legislation. The two bills: » The Water Efficiency Improvement
Act: This legislation would provide up to a $2,000 tax credit for
individuals and businesses that purchase the Environmental
Protection Agency's WaterSense products. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140306/A_NEWS/403060317
DIESEL EMISSIONS
UPS to buy 1,000 propane-powered delivery trucks. United Parcel
Service Inc. said Wednesday it would invest $70 million to add
1,000 propane-powered delivery trucks to its fleet. The trucks,
which can travel up to 200 miles on a tank of propane, will
replace gasoline- and diesel-powered trucks used primarily in
rural areas in Louisiana and Oklahoma, UPS said. Other states are
pending. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-ups-1000-propane-trucks-20140305,0,5661369,print.story
FUELS
U.S. Hopes Boom in Natural Gas Can Curb Putin. The crisis in
Crimea is heralding the rise of a new era of American energy
diplomacy, as the Obama administration tries to deploy the vast
new supply of natural gas in the United States as a weapon to
undercut the influence of the Russian president, Vladimir V.
Putin, over Ukraine and Europe. The crisis has escalated a State
Department initiative to use a new boom in American natural gas
supplies as a lever against Russia, which supplies 60 percent
of…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/us-seeks-to-reduce-ukraines-reliance-on-russia-for-natural-gas.html?hpw&rref=world&action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry815%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2F
GREEN ENERGY
REDLANDS: A lesson in going green. Redlands takes pride in its
green initiatives, which include changing streetlights to
energy-efficient LEDs, switching its fleet of trash trucks to
alternative fuels and encouraging the installation of solar
panels atop warehouses. But it still could take a lesson from
Palm Springs, members of the Redlands Sustainability Network
heard this week. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20140305-redlands-a-lesson-in-going-green.ece
New financing option for home solar energy. A new twist in solar
financing is coming to California. Mosaic, an Oakland-based solar
finance start-up, is partnering with established rooftop solar
installer RGS Energy to provide zero-deposit loans to homeowners
who want to buy a solar energy system. The loans will be backed
by small-investor capital from Mosaic's online crowdsourcing
platform, which already funnels money to moderate sized solar
arrays on farms, grocery stores, military housing and schools
from coast to coast. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/05/mosaic-solar-option/
Largest U.S. grid operator could switch to 30% renewables with no
ill effects – study.With adequate investment in expanded
transmission capacity, states in the PJM Interconnection could
get up to 30 percent of their electricity from renewable
resources -- primarily large-scale wind and solar -- in 2026
without a detrimental effect on grid reliability, a study led by
GE Energy Consulting concluded. The good news for consumers is
that under every scenario envisioned in the study commissioned by
PJM, fuel costs in the regional transmission organization (RTO)
would be lower…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059995625/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
MISCELLANEOUS
When General Electric leaves Fort Edward, pollution remains.
There is a bitter joke going around Fort Edward these days. After
seven decades, General Electric is closing its capacitor factory
this fall, taking 200 good-paying jobs from this economically
struggling Washington County community to a town in Florida
called Clearwater. A visitor had been in town for less that an
hour when he first heard this from a resident: "Did you hear that
GE is moving to Clearwater?...Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/When-General-Electric-leaves-Fort-Edward-5292275.php
ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols to Give Keynote Address at ALI CLE's
Climate Regulation Program Focusing on Clean Air Act &
California's AB32. American Law Institute Continuing Legal
Education (ALI CLE) is pleased to announce its upcoming program,
Navigating Climate Regulation on Dual Tracks: The Promises and
Pitfalls of AB32 and the Clean Air Act that will take place on
March 14 at UCLA's Robin and Albert Carnesale Commons in Los
Angeles, California. Posted.
http://www.power-eng.com/marketwired/2014/03/6/arb-chairman-mary-d-nichols-to-give-keynote-address-at-ali-cle-s-climate-regulation-program-focusin.html
Climate Action Plan the subject of community meeting on Monday.
The city's draft of a Climate Action Plan will be the subject of
a community meeting and workshop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday in
the south hall of the Stockton Civic Memorial Auditorium. The
goal of the proposed Climate Action Plan is to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to 10 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2020,
as required by Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act
of 2006…Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140305/A_NEWS/140309923/0/SEARCH
OPINIONS
Termites and better biofuels. Every time I fill my gas tank, I
see the notice on the pump that explains part of the fuel I’m
buying is ethanol. Ethanol is alcohol, a type of biofuel rather
than fossil fuel. While biofuels can be good to promote national
energy independence and possibly help with greenhouse gas
emissions, the ethanol in our gasoline is made from corn. (The
starch in the corn is broken down into sugars that are then
fermented into alcohol.) With corn ethanol, we are essentially
putting food into our gas tanks…Posted.
http://www.turlockjournal.com/section/26/article/24512/
BLOGS
A Climate Analyst Clarifies the Science Behind California’s Water
Woes. There’s no question that residents of California and much
of the West face a collision between high water demands driven by
growth and outdated policies and a limited and highly variable
water supply. But that reality hasn’t stopped heated arguments
from springing up in recent days over the cause or causes of
California’s continuing epic drought. Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/a-climate-analyst-clarifies-the-science-behind-californias-extreme-drought/?_php=true&_type=blogs&action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry815%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2F&_r=0
Will State Legislatures Join Congress And Cut Green Energy
Incentives? What’s happening in Kansas could be happening in your
state. It’s not completely clear that the efforts to rollback the
statewide renewable energy requirements there — and in 16 other
states — will succeed. But it is obvious that, nationally, the
tax preference given to renewables is fading. Here’s the
parallel: Most free market planners are opposed to mandatory
statutes that require utilities to offer certain amounts of green
energy. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2014/03/05/will-state-legislatures-join-congress-and-cut-green-energy-incentives/
A Fuel-Efficient Big Rig From Walmart That Looks Like a Smushed
Corvette. Efficiency counts when you have one of the world’s
largest commercial truck fleets. That’s why Walmart has developed
a new big rig that uses a radical design to increase airflow and
cut fuel use. It’s called the WAVE, which stands for Walmart
Advanced Vehicle Experience. It’s a concept truck and trailer
that previews the future of long-haul freight, and it’s designed
by Walmart in partnership with Peterbilt, Great Dane Trailers,
and Capstone Turbine. Posted.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/walmart-big-rig/
China’s “war on pollution” may end up accelerating global
warming. This week, the Chinese government vowed to launch a “war
on pollution.” Public enemy number one will have to be coal-fired
power plants, whose emissions kill more than a quarter-million
people a year, according to Greenpeace. In fact, a coal industry
forum this week declared that China’s coal consumption will peak
by 2020 (link in Chinese), and then start falling by 0.4%
annually thereafter. Posted.
http://qz.com/184860/chinas-war-on-pollution-may-end-up-accelerating-global-warming/#184860/chinas-war-on-pollution-may-end-up-accelerating-global-warming/
California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.